Embattled Federal High Court judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola, has accused the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, of orchestrating his arrest and detention by the Department of State Services over a personal grudge he had nursed against him for years.
Ademola who was one of the seven judges arrested by the DSS, last weekend, denied all the allegations of corruption and possession of unlicensed arms levelled against him.
In a letter to the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Mohammed Mahmud, Ademola said the immediate reason for his arrest was his decision to grant bail to former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and pro-Biafra activist, Nnamdi Kanu, both of whom were charged by the DSS for corruption and treason.
He said he had also ordered Malami’s arrest and detention for professional misconduct when he was Federal High Court judge in Kano.
He added that the incident cost Malami the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
“The search of my residence was based on these allegations: “(i) Petition of Hon. Jenkins Duvie dated 4th of April 2016 to the National Judicial Council (NJC); (ii) Granting bail to Col. Sambo Dasuki and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu. (iii) Using my office to secure my wife’s appointment as the Head of Civil Service Lagos State through Senator Bola Tinubu,” Mr. Ademola said.
He said about 45 operatives of SSS stormed his residence and whisked him away at odd hours, without telling him his offenses or presenting a warrant of arrest.
He said the SSS connived with Malami to use his decisions on the bench against him.
“What is more intriguing in this whole episode is that I see it as a vendetta/revenge from the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
“Whilst I was in Kano between 2004-2008 as a Federal High Court judge, he was involved in a professional misconduct necessitating his arrest and detention by my order.
“However, with the intervention of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Kano Branch, the allegation of misconduct was later withdrawn by me.
“Consequently, the National Judicial Council (NJC) referred Abubakar Malami (SAN) to the NBA Disciplinary Committee for disciplinary action,” Ademola said.
“It was as a result of this he was denied the Rank of SAN by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee for a period of four years until when he produced a fake letter of apology, purportedly addressed to me.
“It was then he was conferred with the rank. Since the above incident, Abubakar Malami (SAN) has threatened to revenge and swore to do anything to bring me down,” the judge said.
“I saw at about 45 masked officers of the State Security Services, all heavily armed pointing their guns at me,” he said.
“They flashed a document purported to be a search warrant and ordered me to sign a document claiming that they had already conducted a search downstairs.
“They also added that I was totally under their control today as I have always made orders against them,” Mr. Ademola said.
Mr. Ademola said operatives later presented him with a list of items that were found in his home which could be used as exhibits, but he initially declined to sign the paper.
“They threatened me if I did not sign it they would not leave me alone and whatever they did to me at that point would be recorded that I will not be alive to tell the story of what transpired between me and them that night.
“For fear and interest of my life, and unknown persons with masks on their faces, I collected the written items and signed the document,” Mr. Ademola said.
The judge said he has been putting up at a hotel in downtown Abuja and sought permission to proceed on leave during which he intended to pursue a remediation for alleged breach of his fundamental rights by the SSS.
”My Lord, with this infringement of my fundamental right, I seek for the leave to commence an action against the State Security Service to enforce my right that was breached,” Ademola said.
Supreme Court judges, Inyang Okoro and Sylvester Ngwuta were arrested in Abuja. Federal High Court judges, Ademola and Mohammed Tsamiya were also arrested in Abuja.
Others arrested included, Kabir Auta, Kano; Muazu Pindiga, Gombe; and Innocent Umezulike in Enugu.
The operatives were also involved in a botched attempt to arrest another judge in Port Harcourt.
All the seven judges were released on self-recognisance pending their arraignment.
